CARDINAL
For its full fiscal year, the company reported profit of $256 million, or 81 cents per share, compared with $1.3 billion, or $4.03 per share, the prior year. Revenue rose 5 percent to $137 billion.
Cardinal, like other drug distributors and pharmaceutical companies, has been sued multiple times over its alleged role in the national opioid crisis. Meanwhile, the state of New York has enacted a law requiring pharmaceutical companies that make opioids and the distributors such as Cardinal to pay a combined $100 million a year into a fund to help addicts.
The implications of the law on Cardinal aren’t clear. Kauffman said Cardinal doesn’t know how much it would have to pay. The association representing the drug distributors has challenged the law in court.
Meanwhile, the lawsuits filed against the company continue to proceed.
“As we’ve always said, we care incredibly deeply about what is a really complex public health crisis, and something we’ve been focusing on for more than a decade,” Kauffman said.
The company is forecasting profit of $4.90 to $5.15 per share for the new fiscal year. The outlook excludes any onetime charges.
Kauffman said the company continues to look for ways to turn around its performance. It also has cut staff around the world, although he would not disclose the extent of the cuts.
“There’s nothing off the table,” he said. “If there is something we can do to maximize shareholder results and improve the customer experience, we’re going to take a hard look at it.”